Apple's iPhone 6 could sport NFC for mobile payments

That age-old rumour about Apple adding NFC to the iPhone's connectivity options has surfaced again, just in time for the company's media event scheduled for early next month.

According to Wired, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, Apple plans to include near-field communication in the next-generation iPhone (expected to be called iPhone 6). The company won't add NFC without cause however. The technology should power a new mobile-payment platform on the smartphone.

NFC, which allows for short-distance interaction between a device and other objects, is commonly used for mobile payments. Rival companies, such as Samsung, have long offered NFC. Many Galaxy smartphones, for instance, also use it to share content like photos or contacts over short distances.

Phone owners can also use NFC to pair to other devices - similar to Bluetooth. In fact, Apple has avoided adopting NFC thus far by relying on Bluetooth. It even uses Bluetooth for its iBeacon feature. The company also hasn't done much with payments - apart from Passbook - to require adding NFC.